This invention relates generally to high volume mixing and dispensing beverages and, more particularly, to a system and a method for improved control of the flow and mixing of a beverage.
Conventional beverage mixing and dispensing systems employ an open intermediary mixing tank for receiving and mixing a beverage concentrate and water to produce a beverage which is drawn from the intermediary tank to a carbonator or dispenser for dispensing. When the amount of the beverage drops in the open tank below a preset level, additional beverage concentrate and water are flowed into the intermediary tank to refill the tank. The intermediary tank is typically large to avoid the need for frequent refilling which interrupts the dispensing operation. The tank must be vented or open to the atmosphere to prevent vacuum. Such an open system is very susceptible to contamination. Moreover, large quantities of the beverage may need to be discarded if the mixing ratio does not meet the requirement. Open systems require frequent, often weekly, sanitization with significant product waste resulting.
When it is desired to provide a carbonated beverage, the carbonator pump of a carbonator pumps the beverage to a carbonator tank, and carbon dioxide is injected into the carbonator tank. The relative proportions of the beverage and the carbon dioxide are maintained within a range to produce a properly carbonated beverage. Typically the carbon dioxide has a pressure that is higher than the pressure of the beverage inside the carbonator tank. The carbonator pump is a flow-through pump that is powered only when necessary to refill the carbonator tank and ensures that the carbon dioxide does not drive the beverage out of the tank due to the pressure differential. In situations where the beverage pressure inside the carbonator tank is approximately equal to or higher than the pressure of the carbon dioxide, however, the flow of the beverage into the carbonator tank using conventional mechanisms will tend to drive out the carbon dioxide so that the proportion of the beverage in the tank will be unacceptably high, and the resulting beverage is either not carbonated or inadequately carbonated.